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ARP named wardens

  • Thread starter Thread starter sheila cox
  • Start date Start date
Edit: please note there are other ARP related threads that might be of interest. See the links below.

ARP RESCUE PARTY WORKERS
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/arp-named-rescue-party-workers.62285.

ARP FIRE WATCHMEN WATCHERS
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...fire-watchman-fire-watchers-fire-guards.62287

ARP FIRST AID WORKERS
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/arp-named-first-aid-workers.62289

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My wife's Grandfather, Frank Garratt, who lived in Cook Street, Nechells, was in the ARP during WW2. He was apparently a water carrier in a stirrup pump team. Does anyone know which ARP Unit (presumably close to where he lived) he would have joined? Thank you
 
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Welcome Alan. I've only just seen your post, hopefully someone on the Forum will be able to help you.

Can anyone help please ? Viv.
 
I too have been seeking help regarding the ARP. Dad was a Warden in Sheldon. I have spent countless hours and written many emails trying to find any information relating to his service, only to be told there is little to nothing on record.

OldBrummie.
 
It seems to be hard for folk to find trace of ARP affairs.
I know that many APR wardens, who had a bucket and stirrup pump - maybe this was their total armoury?
I do remember seeming many houses - doors and walls marked with white 'SP' letters - and that, maybe is all there was to it in many areas. How it was set up I do not know, maybe just willing volunteers in each road with little recorded structure.
 
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Think you may be right there R R, we had a lady warden in Tillingham St, think her name was Edna or the like.
After the war she always dressed in clothes of the same style and color (complete with Berry ) but without the badges. Maybe the War gave her the reason for living, who knows.
Cheers Tim.
Ps they did a great job and lets hope they were truly appreciated.
 
Colin B said:
I have a book Heroes of the Birmingham Air Raids by Michael Minton which lists the names of men of the fire service and other organisations who received awards for service during the blitz.I'm sorry there's no mention of either of the names you mention.

If anyone wants a name checking let me know

Colin
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hi, I realise this thread is quite old but we are trying to find some information about William Frederick Booton (my grandfather) who was killed 19 November 1941. He was an air raid warden and we understand he was checking a primary school when it got hit. He is listed on the beautiful "tree of life" memorial.
 
Hi, would appreciate any information about air raid warden William F Booton killed in the Blitz November 1941 – he was my grandad
 
Hi BBoots,

Welcome to the Forum, but I'm very sad to inform you that Colin B passed away some time ago. Sorry I can't help you about your granddad, but maybe some other member can.

Maurice
 
An ARP warden's whistle, used in Walsall by my late father-in-law but there IS a Birmingham connection!

It was made by J. Hudson & Co., Barr Street, Hockley, Birmingham.

Chris

132717
 
ChrisM said:
An ARP warden's whistle, used in Walsall by my late father-in-law but there IS a Birmingham connection!

It was made by J. Hudson & Co., Barr Street, Hockley, Birmingham.

Chris

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I have a particular interest in Hudson’s and have a decent size collection of their whistles. This is one of the first Metropolitan Police whistles they turned out Spring 1884?
 

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Colin B said:
I have a book Heroes of the Birmingham Air Raids by Michael Minton which lists the names of men of the fire service and other organisations who received awards for service during the blitz.I'm sorry there's no mention of either of the names you mention.

If anyone wants a name checking let me know

Colin
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My grandad was an LMS ARP, probably Curzon Goods Station.
I'm doing a family story and wondered if anyone has any images of an ARP in action.
 
My grandfather William Rowe was a full time Head Warden in the ARP ( I think for the Villa Cross area )during WW2. He lived in Lozells so presumably this was the area in which he worked. My father used to tell me that his father rescued some people from bombed out cellars and that his picture was in the paper because of this . I have never been able to find this or indeed any more information about his service. Has anyone got any suggestions as to where I might start looking? Thanks
 
It is disappointing, Rebecca, that members are finding it difficult to give you any guidance on this. It all points to the fact that tracing members of WW2 Home Front services (volunteers or paid) and what they did is very difficult. Few records exist and I am certainly not aware of any for ARP personnel. (It's slightly easier for the Home Guard, but not much).

From what you have been told, it sounds likely that there is some newspaper article somewhere which makes reference to your grandfather. I'm no expert on newspaper searches but I think in this case, all you can do is keep trying within the online archives which are available to us (normally subject to a subscription, unfortunately). Bear in mind, though, that any report from that time will give no information about the location of the incident, for security reasons. With a bit of luck, though, your grandfather's name could well be mentioned.

In view of the absence of official records I think that the best thing for you to do is to approach the situation from the other direction – in other words, forget for the time being trying to track your grandfather himself down but, rather, look at the incidents where he might well have been involved, and in particular those adjacent to the area where he is known to have served.

One book I have in mind is Michael Minton's "Heroes of the Birmingham Air Raids. There are no doubt others. The trouble with any book of that sort is that many brave men are mentioned and commemorated; but beyond them there are many others whose own acts of bravery at the same time were either wholly unknown or were never recorded. Unfortunately your grandfather's name does not appear in the book I have mentioned. But it DOES provide a lot of information about what he and many others must have experienced. Perhaps members can suggest other sources.

Online research of course is another possibility. I have at least one page in my Home Guard website which gives a lot of detail about one Villa Cross incident, here: http://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences40staffshg.htm . (There are others in the same website). There must have been many other similar incidents in the neighbourhood and there will be information about them, somewhere or other. Official incident reports survive. There can't have been many of these dreadful events in which your grandfather was not involved.

Keep at it – you may stumble across something which relates more specifically to your grandfather. Please let us know of any progress.

Chris
 
maybe some of our members who are subscribed to the british newspaper archives would kindly have a look to see if there was anything written about william rowe from lozells who save people from a cellar during a bomb blast...fingers crossed

lyn
 
Thanks, Lyn. It would also be useful to have members’ suggestions about the best books they have encountered on the subject of the Birmingham Blitz. This would be useful to Rebecca and no doubt other members in the future.

Chris
 
Of course, he might well have appeared but wasn’t named. Perhaps part of a group of rescue workers. The location would also have been unstated - and even which city (although the fact of its appearing in a Birmingham newspaper might have been a bit of a clue!)

If, as it seems, he wasn’t named this is going to be a bit of a needle in a haystack for Rebecca. And would need her to be able to recognise her grandfather in a grainy photograph.

Chris
 
Rebecca,

I'm sorry to say that an online newspaper search of Birmingham between September 1939 and December 1945 for William Rowe did not produce a single entry.

Maurice
 
A difficult one, Pete. You can specify the exact word Rowe, but it still churns out Colmore Row and Easy Row, both of which had suppliers of ARP-related gear from mattresses downwards. Asking it to exclude "Row " with the space, produces nothing. And there are hundreds of companies trying to recruit ARP people, such as factories and cinemas, so you get all that dross as well. Searching on the phrase ARP Warden produces nothing either. As Chris says above, the naming of individual wardens is as rare as hen's teeth.

But (and there's always a but), if his wife's name was Florence and they lived at 188 Clifford Street, then here they are on the 1939 Register. He is shown as an assistant in a grocers, but if you look in the right hand margin, you will see that William is named as a Head ARP Warden and Florence as an ARP Warden. Frankly, I think this is as much as Rebecca is likely to find as the papers at the time did not tend to name rescuers for security purposes, as Chris has said. I've attached this as a file.

Maurice :cool:
 

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Astoness said:
maybe some of our members who are subscribed to the british newspaper archives would kindly have a look to see if there was anything written about william rowe from lozells who save people from a cellar during a bomb blast...fingers crossed

lyn
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thank you. thats a good idea.
 
sospiri said:
A difficult one, Pete. You can specify the exact word Rowe, but it still churns out Colmore Row and Easy Row, both of which had suppliers of ARP-related gear from mattresses downwards. Asking it to exclude "Row " with the space, produces nothing. And there are hundreds of companies trying to recruit ARP people, such as factories and cinemas, so you get all that dross as well. Searching on the phrase ARP Warden produces nothing either. As Chris says above, the naming of individual wardens is as rare as hen's teeth.

But (and there's always a but), if his wife's name was Florence and they lived at 188 Clifford Street, then here they are on the 1939 Register. He is shown as an assistant in a grocers, but if you look in the right hand margin, you will see that William is named as a Head ARP Warden and Florence as an ARP Warden. Frankly, I think this is as much as Rebecca is likely to find as the papers at the time did not tend to name rescuers for security purposes, as Chris has said. I've attached this as a file.

Maurice :cool:
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ChrisM said:
rupertbri,

I'm not sure whether ColinB still follows this forum and so as I also have the book, I'll answer. Unfortunately there appears to be no mention of Frederick Pierson Hill.

"Heroes of the Birmingham Air Raids" describes specific incidents where the contribution of individuals of many services, and also civilians, was recognised with a bravery award. AFS men are listed, as well as those in the ARP, Home Guard, R.E Bomb Disposal units, Police, the railway companies, factories and so on. There is also an AFS Roll of Honour listing those AFS men who lost their lives.

I imagine that the book mentions only a tiny fraction of all the men and women who were involved in one way or another with the Birmingham Blitz. Many of the countless others would also have performed acts of bravery in the line of duty but have gone unrecognised and are therefore forgotten outside the circle of family and friends. This forum is a way of remembering them and what they did.

Chris
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Hello Chris. My grandfather Horace Robert (Bob) Hibell was, according to my mother, head air raid warden presumably for the Erdington area. I'd be grateful if you could check for his name in this book. Thanks, David, South Australia
 
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